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In Breaking Bad, Mike clearly calls Jimmy by his alternate name "Saul" multiple times. In Better Call Saul, we see that their paths are crossed quite considerably before Jimmy even starts using his alter ego of Saul Goodman.

Why does Mike entertain this alter ego name? He doesn't seem to be the type of guy who would do so, regardless of Jimmy's reasons for using it. It seems to be a bit of a plot hole (granted, it isn't a big one). I can see why someone would disagree with me on this point, but Gilligan's style is so careful and thought-out that it's surprising that something like this would be left unturned. Concepts of Better Call Saul were thought of well before Breaking Bad had finished airing, so I would've thought they had plenty of time to close any of these holes.

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I disagree that Mike isn't the sort of person who would entertain a name change like this. Mike is exactly the sort of person who would hear "I've changed my name to Saul" and shrug it off with a casual "Whatever," and then proceed to call him only Saul from then on.

Mike is the kind of guy who does the job he's asked to do and doesn't ask any questions that he doesn't need the answers to. As long as you play it straight, he will too.

Refusing to call Jimmy "Saul" would potentially disrupt any shady dealings they were involved in together, if third parties only knew the name Saul. It would also be an indiscretion to casually blow Saul's cover by calling him Jimmy just because Mike knows his real name. Of all the characters seen in either show, Mike is the most discreet and conscientious of the sensitive nature of the illegal operations these people so often find themselves embroiled in.

Unless he had a good reason NOT to call Jimmy "Saul," I believe he would do so without batting an eyelash.

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    Well I couldn't of asked for a better answer. Never thought of it that way. Makes sense. Thanks.
    – John Bell
    Commented Jun 13, 2017 at 4:38
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    "(...) I believe he would do so without batting an eyelash." I literally thought of Mike's dead stare while reading this.
    – xDaizu
    Commented Jun 13, 2017 at 8:17
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    To be fair, it seems to be a fairly open "secret"--Saul outs himself as actually being named "McGill" completely unprompted, the first time he meets Walter, when he (falsely) mentions that he's Irish. I can definitely see Mike shrugging and going "sure, whatever" though.
    – Milo P
    Commented Jun 13, 2017 at 16:09
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    @MiloP True, but the point here is that Mike wouldn't let it slip. If Saul lets it slip himself, that's his choice and/or problem.
    – Steve-O
    Commented Jun 13, 2017 at 17:26
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    Didn't he also tell the idiot in BEtter Call Saul (the guy who buys the Hummer) specifically to not use his real name in his shady dealings? It stands to reason that Mike then agrees with Jimmy's assumed identity (though the circumstances of Jimmy becoming Saul are not yet set in stone in Better Call Saul).
    – Flater
    Commented Jun 26, 2017 at 8:45

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